An accessible Viewer for Digital Comic Books

In many countries, ”comic books” are very popular and are sometimes are referred to as the ninth art. The most common form of access to comics still remains the paper form. Despite its reading comfort, this media does not fit the use the navigational needs of a number of people with special needs, for example : motor-impaired people, low-sighted people and mobile users.
In this paper, we explore how an electronic version of comics can be accessed optimally using a computer based interface. Among the reading modes supported, an automated mode provides a segmentation-based detection of panel boundaries and their display in the right reading order. This enables accessibility with minimal user interaction and maximal image size. Validation was carried out in a number of operational contexts such as a PC controlled through voice, a TV controlled through a remote and a mobile device.